James Quizon

No offense to the Cleveland Cavaliers but it appears it’s just a two-team race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. After the Cavs pair of losses to the Charlotte Bobcats and the Atlanta Hawks earlier in the week, it’s down to two squads battling for the only slot left: the Hawks and the New York Knicks.

In the final stretch of the NBA regular season, both the New York Knicks and Miami Heat are still mired in important battles that could very well decide the final positioning—and make-up— in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

The only No. 1 seed left in the NCAA Tournament and the overall top seed in this March Madness, the Florida Gators are joined by two schools— 8th seed Kentucky Wildcats and 2nd seed Wisconsin Badgers which have beaten the other top seeds in the region and another in seeded 7th, the Connecticut Huskies.

The Texas team is losing its grip on a probable first round home court advantage and need to get back to the win column fast else the Portland Trail Blazers might catch them and steal the 4th seed in the tough Western Conference.

Everybody’s brackets should have been busted by now. But that’s not stopping basketball fans from making their bets and picks in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. This year’s March Madness Final Four is set on Saturday in the US (early Sunday morning Australia) and with still roughly two days away from the semis the betting lines are still open.

With six to seven games each to play for the final four contending teams in the Western Conference, the final stretch of the NBA regular season has just got very interesting. The Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are all still alive in fighting for the final three slots—No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8--- in the tough Western Conference postseason race.

Russia beat Ukraine, 4-1 in the 2014 World Series of Boxing quarterfinals on Monday in Moscow, Russia. With situation in Crimea already toxic, it was a breath of fresh air that the athletes—and fans—from both countries treated the matches as nothing more than what it should be: a sporting competition.

The battle at the top of the Western Conference became one-sided after a seething 19-game winning streak by the San Antonio Spurs. The Oklahoma City Thunder, which are still mathematically probable to finish with the best record in the NBA, host the Spurs on Thursday night. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and company might get the win and end the Spurs’ franchise-record streak but their team would still be three games back off the defending West champions so it appears San Antonio has this in t...

Although they haven’t met in this stretch, one of the victims of the San Antonio Spurs’ franchise-record 19-game winning streak is the Oklahoma City Thunder. After all, the Spurs have now taken over the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and the entire league—if San Antonio holds on to the top spot, they’ll have homecourt advantage throughout the postseason.

Sure, they could be first-round fodders against either the Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers. But that’s not stopping the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks from trying their best to the postseason.

With less than 10 games to go for most teams, this is indeed the stretch run in the NBA regular season. A lot of things are still unsettled however as teams play for positioning and for those right at the bubble of the playoff picture, a loss or two could very well boot them out of contention for top eight in either conferences.

Heat stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all have the option to leave the team at the end of the season. Will one or all finally decide to move on and leave behind what was a successful run?

NBA referee Dick Bavetta officiated his 2,633rd consecutive NBA regular season game during the Brooklyn Nets New York Nets match-up on Wednesday night to pass Major League Baseball and Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. for the longest streak participated in American pro sports.

Andrew Wiggins is projected to go inside the top 3 in the 2014 NBA Draft this June. Even before he becomes a pro, he’s already a top target for sports agents and it appears that Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports have the inside track in getting the Canadian as their client.

Broadcaster Super Sport based in South Africa is asserting that NSW Waratahs coach Michael Cheika had a verbal confrontation with one of their cameramen in the Waratahs’ game on Saturday. SANZAR, the Super Rugby’s governing body has taken notice and is set to investigate the incident.

DeSean Jackson visited Washington over the last few days. And before he leaves the nation’s capital, he might become the wide receiver of their football team.

With hopes in keeping the game of rugby clean, the New Zealand Rugby Union is launching an anti-corruption drive the organization announced on Wednesday.

Tuesday is a light one in the NBA with only three games on tap. However, two of those games are crucial on which teams will make the playoffs as the regular season winds down to its final two weeks.

The stretch run of the NBA regular season features a four-team race for three playoff spots in the Western Conference. Two of those squads are the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks and they face each other on Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas Texas.

The Indiana Pacers were hoping to avoid a three-game skid when they hosted the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. Paul George and company couldn’t snap out of their struggles however as Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and the rest of the Spurs delivered the 103-77 beating.

Australian Steven Bowditch won the 2014 Valero Texas Open beating the likes of American Will MacKenzie and Daniel Summerhays for his first PGA Tour title of his career. With the breakthrough victory, the 30-year-old Australian has jumped 205 spots in the PGA Tour rankings from No. 339 to No. 134 after Sunday’s win in San Antonio, Texas.

Despite being the division leaders, no one is taking the Toronto Raptors seriously as East contenders. The Canadian franchise have an opportunity to prove the doubters wrong if they can beat the defending champions Miami Heat on Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida.

The San Antonio Spurs are in control of the league with the best record in the NBA. The Indiana Pacers are losing their hold on the East’s top spot. The conference’s best meet on Monday night at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) race for the playoffs is heating up especially in the Western Conference where four teams are in the mad dash for the finish line.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is in the stretch run for the mad dash to the finish called the Playoffs. With a few games left out of 82 played in the regular season teams have (virtually) clinched some playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

With a few games left for each team in the NBA regular season a slew of teams are hard-pressed to get the win for a better chance at a postseason slot. The big winners today are the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both squads gained ground on the Atlanta Hawks (31-41) for the eighth and final postseason slot in the weak Eastern Conference.

Being part of this particular boxing family, it’s not surprising that Jeff Mayweather thinks that Manny Pacquiao is past his prime.

Both the University of Connecticut and Michigan State were both seeded low for the 2014 NCAA Tournament. At this point of the Big Dance, both are proving that peaking at the right time is better than being ranked high the pre-tournament rankings.

It’s the top players in the world battling for the championship at the Sony Open 2014 at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami, Florida. ATP World No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain takes on No.2 Novak Djokovic in the Miami Masters final in what is the 40th career meeting between the two rivals.